Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H03—ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
  • H03F—AMPLIFIERS
  • H03F1/00—Details of amplifiers with only discharge tubes, only semiconductor devices or only unspecified devices as amplifying elements
  • H03F1/30—Modifications of amplifiers to reduce influence of variations of temperature or supply voltage or other physical parameters
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10D—INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
  • H10D89/00—Aspects of integrated devices not covered by groups H10D84/00 - H10D88/00
  • H10D89/60—Integrated devices comprising arrangements for electrical or thermal protection, e.g. protection circuits against electrostatic discharge [ESD]
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10W—GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H10W40/00—Arrangements for thermal protection or thermal control

Definitions

• This disclosure relates generally to temperatures sensors and .more particularly to integrated circuit chip temperature sensors.
• the inventors have recognized that when a semiconductor resistor is biased into saturation, the temperature coefficient of the resistor increases significantly compared with a semiconductor resistor biased in the linear region and therefore when the resistor is biased, into saturation it provides greater sensitivity when used as a temperature sensor.
• the region between the pair of electrodes is doped
• the reference is a reference voltage and wherein the circuitry senses variations in current through the resistor in response to variations In the temperature of the semiconductor.
• the reference is a reference current and wherein the circuitry senses variations in voltage said other electrode is response to variations in the
• the device is a transistor amplifier.
• the resistor and device are formed on a III- V semiconductor and wherei the circuitry is formed on a different semiconductor.
• FIG. I is a schematic diagram of temperature sensing circuit according to the disclosure.
• FIG. 2 is a set of curves showing the relationship output voltages of the circuit of FIG. I as a function of the temperature of such circuit for various levels of current passing • from a constant current source of such circuit through, a semiconductor resistor of such circuit both when the resistor is operating in saturation and non-saturation;
• FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of a phased array radar system including a temperature control system according to the disclosure, such temperature control system including the circuit of FIG. I;
• FIG, 4 is a simplified cross sectional sketch of semiamduetor chips forming as exemplary one of a plurality of variable phase shifter-variable gain channels used 1 the phased array radar system of FIG. 4, sock variable phase shifter-variable gain channels having the temperature eonixol system of FIG. 3; and
• FIG. 5 is a simplified schematic diagram of an alternative embodiment of the temperature control system according to the disclosure.
• FIG. 1 a semiconductor resistor, R, (i.e., a resistor having a pair of electrodes 44, 46 in ohmic contact with a semiconductor 16) is shown fed from a constant current source Ics.
• FIG. 2 shows voltage across the pair of electrodes 44. 46 as a function of the temperature of the resistor, R. for various currents Ics fed to the resistor.
• the variations in output voltage i.e., the variations in the voltage at electrode 1.2
• variations in the temperature of the resistor R increases as the resistor R. is operated in increasing saturated regions; i.e., higher values of Ics.
• the temperature sensitivity i.e., variation in output voltage as a function of temperature improves (i.e., increases).
• a temperature control system 20 is shown.
• the temperature control system 20 is used to control the temperature of a high power amplifier (HPA) in a transmit receive, phase shifter/attenuator channel of phased array system 21; it should be understood however that the temperature control system 20 may he used In many other applications.
• HPA high power amplifier
• phase shift of the signals emanating from each antenna element 24 is zero relative to some arbitrary reference. If the phase shift from element 24 to element 24 differs by a fixed amount from zero, the direction of the main radiation lobe is shifted from broadside accordingly.
• Each channel 28 includes: a digitally controlled attenuator 30; a digitally controlled phase shifter 32; a transmit/receive switch (T R); a high power amplifier (HPA); a circulator 34 and a lo noise amplifier LNA, arranged as shown.
• F energy from the transmitter section of transmit receive section XMT/ .CVR is fed to the plurality of antenna elements 24 through the feed network 26, the digitally controlled attenuator 30, the digitally controlled phase shifter 32, the transmit/receive switch (T R), the high power amplifier (HPA), and the circulator 34, as indicated.
• energy received by the antenna elements 24 is fed to the receiver section of the XMT RCVR. through the circulator 34, low noise amplifier LN A, T/R switch, phase shifter 32, attenuator 30, and feed network 26, as indicated.
• each channel 28 includes the temperature control system 20. More particularly, the temperature control system 20 includes: a resistor, R, formed in a region of a semiconductor 42 (FIG. 4), here, for example, a 1I1-V semiconductor such as, for example, gallium nitride (GaN).
• the resistor, R has a pair of spaced electrode 44, 46 in ohmic contact with doped regions 48, 50, respectively here for example N+ doped regions of here, for example, N doped semiconductor 42,
• electrode 44 is connected to a constant current source les and electrode 46 is connected to ground 45 through a via 47.
• At least one device 54 is also formed in the semiconductor 42, in close proximate to the resistor R, is at least one device 54; here for example, a GaN transistor used for the HPA.
• the temperature control system 20 also includes circuitry 56, here, for example, formed on another semiconductor 58 (FIG. 3) as part of an ASIC 60.
• the semiconductor 58 is silicon.
• the circuitry 20 includes a reference, here the constant crnrent source !cs, connected to one of the pair of electrodes, here electrode 44, for operating the resistor R in saturation and for sensing variation in the voltage at electrode 44 In response to fee heat generated by the device 54 and for controlling the heat generated by the device 54 in the sesiicondnetor 42 in response to the sensed voltage variation, at electrode 44,
• the voltage ai electrode 44 is fed to the ASIC 60 where it is converted into a corresponding digital signal by an analog to digital converter (ADC).
• ADC analog to digital converter
• the digital signal is fed to a processor 62 of the ASIC 60.
• the processor 62 has stored therein, as for example In a Read Onl Memory (ROM), not shown, the relationship between the voltage ami temperature from the data in FIG, 2.
• ROM Read Onl Memory
• predetermined reference or desired temperature for the semiconductor 42 is also stored in the ROM.
• the processor 62 produces a temperature adjusting control signal
• the processor 62 also produces beam steering control signal from the beam steering computer 31.
• the processor 62 modifies the beam steering control signal by the temperature adjusting control signal to produce a combined control signal for the phase shifter 32 and the variable, digitally controlled attenuator 30.
• the phase shifter 32 and the variable, digitally controlled attenuator 30 axe here formed.
• a third semiconductor 64 here also a M-V semiconductor.
• This third semicond ctor 64 has fed to it a radio frequency (RF) signal to be amplified by the HPA after passing through the digitally controlled attenuator 30,
• RF radio frequency
• the level, of the RF input to the HPA is varied in accordance with variations in the temperature sensed by the resistor II. More particularly, in the example, as the temperature proximate the HPA increase, such increase in temperature is sensed by the resistor R.
• the processor 62 resulting in the processor 62 sending as the combined, control signal to attenuator 60 to increase the attenuation a small amount hi additio to the attenuation required by the beam steering computer 31 and thereby reduce the RF input to the HPA, This reduced RF Input result in a corresponding reduction in. the heat generated temperature generated by the FIFA.
• the effect then is to provide a feedback, temperature control system, li should be understood that this is an example of the operation of the processor 62 in modifying the beam steering control signal.
• Other implementations may be used.
• the output of the ADC ma be directly compared with a stored digital word representative of the desired temperature of the semiconductor 42 without storing in the ROM the data from the curve is FIG. 2.
• a temperature control system includes a semiconductor; a resistor formed in a region of the semiconductor, such resistor having a pair of spaced electrodes in ohmic contact with the semiconductor, at least one device formed in another region of the semiconductor thermally proximate the resistor formed region, such device generating heat in the semiconductor; circuitry, mcluding a reference connected to one of the pair of electrodes, for operating the resistor in saturation and for sensing variation in the resistor in response to the heat generated by the device and for controlling the heat generated by the device in the semiconductor in response to the sensed variation.
• the temperature control system may also include one or more of the following features: wherein the region between the pair of electrodes is doped semiconductor; wherein, the reference is a reference voltage and wherein the circniiry senses variations in current through the resistor in response to variations in the temperature of the semiconductor; wherein the reference is a reference current and wherein the circuitry senses variations in voltage at said one of the electrodes in response to variations in the temperature of the semiconductor; wherein the device is a transistor amplifier;
• region between the pair of electrodes is doped semiconductor; wherein the region between the pair of electrodes is doped semiconductor; wherein the region between the pair of electrodes is doped semiconductor.
• a temperature control system includes a semiconductor; a resistor formed in a region of the semiconductor, such resistor having a pair of spaced electrodes in ohmic contact with the semiconductor; a transistor formed in. another region of the semiconductor thermally proximate the resistor formed region, such device generating heat in the semiconductor; circuitry coupled to the pair of electrodes, for operating the resistor in saturation and for sensing variation in current through, or voltage between, the pair of spaced electrodes of the saturation operated resistor and for controlling the temperature of the semiconductor in response to the sensed variation.
• the temperature control system may also include one or more of the following features: wherein the region between the pair of electrodes is doped semiconductor; wherein, the reference is a reference voltage and wherein the circuitry senses va iations in current through the resistor in response to variations in the temperature of the semiconductor, wherein the reference is a reference current and wherein the circuitry senses variations in voltage at one of the electrodes in response to variations in the temperature of the semiconductor; wherein the transistor is arranged as an amplifier; wherein the region between the pair of electrodes is doped semiconductor; wherein the region between the pair of electrodes is doped semiconductor; wherein the region between the pair of electrodes is doped semiconductor, wherein the resistor and device are formed, on a III-V semiconductor and wherein the circuitry is formed on a different
• the resistor and device are formed on a III-V semiconductor and wherein the circuitry is formed on a different semiconductor; wherein, the region between the pair of electrodes is doped semiconductor, wherein the region between the pair of electrodes is doped semiconductor.
• the resistor R on the semiconductor 42 may be fed with a reference voltage on the ASIC 60, as shown in FIG. 5.
• the ASIC 60 includes a current mirror 70 such as a Wilson current mirror, here formed by bipolar transistors but FETs may he used.
• the current mirror 70 produces a voltage across a resistor R.2 on the ASIC 60 proportional to the current through the resistor R on the semiconductor 42,
• variations in th e semiconductor caused by heating of the HPA are sensed by the resistor R, as described above, and such variations cause a corresponding change in the current through the resi stor R.
• the current through resistor R is mirrored by the current mirror into corresponding changes in the current through resistor 112 and hence produce corresponding changes in the voltage across the resistor R2,
• the voltage across R2 is converted into digital signals by the ADC for the processor 62 as described above.
• current changes through the resistor R produce corresponding changes through R2 and hence in the voltage produced by the ADC, Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.

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• Semiconductor Integrated Circuits (AREA)

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• 2013
  • 2013-01-17 US US13/743,570 patent/US8884700B2/en active Active
  • 2013-10-22 WO PCT/US2013/066039 patent/WO2014113113A2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2013-10-22 EP EP13783816.5A patent/EP2946403B1/de not_active Withdrawn - After Issue

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